Thorns
by Daisukeismyboyfriend
Summary: The cast mulls over resident thorns in their sides. All one-sided pairings. Rated T...because I rate things T. Formerly known as Baka Neko?
1. KyoNeko

Baka Neko.

---

Why was he the cat? Why was he cursed?

He was a pretty normal guy, albeit a bit short-strung when it came to some people (namely Yuki and Shigure), but if he hadn't have been cursed, he'd have been a pretty cool guy.

Well, except for the Tohru issue.

He'd never been able to express his feelings nicely, without managing to hit anyone in the process. So trying to tell Tohru that he liked her was a pain in the butt. Of course, if he told her, she'd be so overcome by…joy?...that she'd bounce around the house like Momiji.

Who was another person that got on his nerves.

He just wanted a normal family, a normal life, for a change. He didn't want some crazy relative dropping by, annoying the hell out of him, and then leaving every two seconds. He didn't want the dark cloud of Akito and his "cage" looming over him. He did, however, want Tohru in his life. Which he had.

So there was hope for him.

Contrary to what Yuki said, he wasn't an idiot- he got good grades in school and studied his butt off every year, not to mention the huge amount of effort he put into his martial arts training. Yuki'd never liked karate or tae- kwon-do, even though he was better than Kyo without even trying.

Kyo had resented this fact for most of his life. He'd only gotten over it because he knew that in reality, Yuki was much more fragile than he looked or fought. And Kyo without Yuki…was just wrong.

Bringing back the Tohru issue, he couldn't understand why she liked Yuki. As more than a friend. He was the rat, he was girly, he was the rat, his hair was grey, he was the rat, he had a fanclub, oh yeah, he was the rat…the reasons went on. But he'd never really realized that she blushed whenever he said her name, shivered a little when he brushed her hand with his, and became downright purple when he held her hand. He wasn't good at recognizing other's feelings, either.

When Yuki'd had a bronchial attack, he'd become really concerned, although he didn't act it. Kyo actually secretly cared for the rat- if anything happened to him, he'd get angry, but wouldn't do anything for fear of Akito and his murderous tendencies. For Kyo, Yuki was an essential part of life, like breakfast or training.

So if Yuki died... a piece of Kyo would die too.

Shishou was also a huge part of his life. He was, basically, Kyo's dad, even though Kyo knew that his real father was still burning with hatred for him after his mother died. Suicide or not, it wasn't Kyo's fault. The cat was tired of people pushing the blame on him, because he was the cat. He wasn't evil. He wasn't mean or rude or stupid or malicious, unless you got him mad, that is. He wasn't what Akito and his cronies thought he was. He was just a guy, with a curse. A pretty unfortunate guy, with a pretty rude curse.

But that's life, isn't it?

---

Another one-or-twoshot for the list.

Review?


	2. YukiNezumi

Second Chapter…

This fic was formerly known as "Baka Neko?" but now it's "Thorns". I couldn't keep it that because not everything's gonna be about Kyo. So, Yuki.

Baka Nezumi.

So Yuki wasn't exactly the best of the harvest, the cream of the crop, the sharpest pencil in the box. He wasn't perfect. He wasn't pure.

He was twisted. Twisted by Akito, and his many hours of torture in that dark room where he was held so often. Akito was the closest thing he'd ever had to a playmate. Until the day the boy snapped.

Black covered everything after that day, and Yuki could barely remember a day where Akito smiled a true, happy smile. He was a cruel person after and even before he snapped, but still Yuki had held a tiny hope that Akito still would treat him kindly.

His hope was shot down rather quickly.

Yuki didn't have a lot of hopes or dreams, except for having Machi accept him and Tohru become his mother somehow…and Ayame giving up on his quest to become the "Perfect Older Brother". Of course, the latter would never happen, but he still had hope about the first two.

Kyo.

He was rude, harsh, in-your-face, a really angry sort of guy, but one that could easily become your friend, given some time. All Yuki had wanted to do was become Kyo's friend- he loved his soft, orange hair- but the folktale had shaped their fates more than anyone knew. But Yuki and Kyo secretly harbored respect for each other, along with a fair amount of jealousy, not to mention anger. Even though they publicly hated each other with a passion, they both realized that without the other, they wouldn't be complete.

He didn't really know what to think about Kakeru, Naohito, Kimi…oh, god, Kimi…and Machi, the resident Student Council. He really didn't want to be viewed as the head of their little band, but below the surface, they were all really good people. If Kakeru could stop calling Nao "Chibisuke" and actually take his duties seriously for a change. Alas, Yuki knew that that would only happen when pigs flew.

His family was a rather sore subject for the nezumi. Yeah, so his parents were loaded. Yeah, so his brother was too flamboyant for anyone to really respect him. Yeah, so he lived with his perverted, novel-writing cousin. He hated his parents. They were cold-hearted people, money-minded and extraordinarily vain…much like most of the other Zodiac parents. But his mother literally sold him to Akito, which twisted him irreparably. He couldn't forgive that. And Ayame? Ayame was trying to make a difference, and whenever he came over, Yuki couldn't help but smile at the hilarious efforts he tried, just to get closer to his little brother.

His friends at school might call him lucky, and he was. Lucky to be living "outside," lucky to have Tohru and Machi near him, and lucky to be alive, curse or not.

---

Next might be Shigure, Kagura, Kisa, or Haru. Review to suggest…

Due to lack of interest/tomorrow is cancelled/ may the clocks be reset/and the pendulums held

-Ruby, Kaiser Chiefs


	3. HaruOx

Thorns- Haru's Chapter.

Been wanting to write one of these from Haru's POV, and now my wish has been fulfilled. (Or will be, as soon as I finish writing it…) So without further ado:

Rin. Isuzu.

She's my life, condensed and put in a girl's clothes. And being able to eat Jell-o. She's got a sharp tongue. But that's okay, because usually it's the only thing that can protect her when her body turns against her, when Akito attacks her, when she catches glimpses of her past. She's fragile. I feel that if I try to heal her, she'll crack. But Tohru's different. More gentle, more…I don't know, motherly? There's something about her that makes me feel like I'm whole. Hopefully Rin will get over her pride and go to Tohru, because Rin needs to be healed more than anyone else.

The worst thing about having two personalities is that you know that it's wrong. People shouldn't _snap_ like that, should they? People shouldn't go from mellow to angry as heck in two seconds, should they?

Maybe that's just an effect of the curse. Bulls can be gentle, but wave a red flag in their face and they go insane. I'm human, though. The curse, however potent it may be, can't take away my humanity- but it can take away my sanity.

Which it is rapidly doing.

I don't know what to do with myself.

Yuki…

…saved me, when I was younger. But can he save me now, with those same forgiving lilac eyes? I don't know. There's so much I don't know about Yuki, it's a wonder we can even call ourselves cousins. He's always just _been_ there, at the sidelines, watching over us, like some kind of guardian angel. So fragile. I want to heal him, too, but I'm also afraid that his heart will break if even _I_ touch it. I…love him. He's just special to me, and I know that Tohru understands that. Will she heal him, in lieu of my shortcomings? I want to protect him from harm, but I can't always be there for him. He needs to be someone who can trust himself.

I'm so concerned about others, I forget about the shortcomings of myself. And the sad thing is, I can't help myself, but I can attempt to heal others. No one can heal the deep rents in my heart. Getting lost…getting angry…Akito…

So what am I, if I'm not human, Akito? Why were you born for us to love you? Why do you think you're our centre? Why do you think we'd sacrifice _everything_ to stay with you?

We're not dumb animals. We deserve to be treated as human.

---

I've always felt kinda _close_ to Haru…I'm not sure why, but whenever he starts angsting in the manga, I go "Hey! I know that feeling!" and sympathize. I also like Rin. I don't know why…she's just so full of _pride._ Which I have very little of, seeing as I don't do a lot of things right.

Review?

-aishiterustaggerlee-


	4. MomijiBunny

Momiji's turn…warning, somewhat emoish.

---

Valentine's Day has always been the hardest day for me. What, to watch Tohru give Kyo all her attention, while she is kind enough to think of me, to give me a delicious chocolate as a token of her "love"? Yes. She may think of me as a friend, as a younger brother, perhaps, but never as what Kyo is to her. I will never replace Kyo, and that is the sad truth.

Look at me, Tohru! I've grown! I'm taller than you, and my growth spurt hasn't stopped _yet_. I'm only a year younger than you. I try to act like you and Kyo aren't a couple, although I can see it in how you look at each other- with love. It's unjust. I'm just as much a good person as Kyo is, without the unpredictable temper and the cage waiting for him. I've become older. More mature. Not as easy to sway with a glance.

My mother forgot me. My father doesn't really care. My sister, Momo, thinks that I should be her older brother, and I wish that one day I could play my violin beautifully for her. For her and Tohru, together, alone. But will that ever happen? Will Kyo be imprisoned? Will Akito be healed?

What are the chances?

Look at Haru, too. He's too busy helping others to notice that he's slowly crumbling apart. Sometimes I have to save him from his self-made hole, dig him out. I'm the only person that can do that for him, besides Rin.

Yuki and Kisa are strong, Kyo is angry, Ritsu thinks that the world was brought into sin by his hands, Shigure is a ripple, Haru heals, Rin runs, Ayame (in his own way) protects, Hatori waits, Kagura atones, Hiro tries to help, and I…I don't know what I do. I can't tell you what I do. I look on from the sidelines, hidden by a mask of happiness, when inside I'm crying softly.

I once saw Ayame cry. He's the person you'd least expect to do so, but when he cries, you can tell some wall inside him breaks, like a dam with a leak. I too have that wall. And when all hope is lost, when I see Tohru and Kyo together, ignoring me, my dam overflows. And I weep, bitterly. I can't help the tears.

So I sit, happy shell surrounding me, as I weep. Rabbit indeed…

---

Emo. Very emo. This was written on Valentine's Day, as I began to lament about getting _nothing_ (again, n-o-t-h-i-n-g) at all. Yep, nothing. And my three-year-running crush still is, sadly, a crush.

I feel for Momiji.


End file.
